Classical High School is a public magnet school located in Providence, Rhode Island in the Providence school district. It was founded in 1843, with the motto Certare, Petere, Reperire, Neque Cedere, translated from Latin as: “To Strive, to Seek, to Find, and Not to Yield.” Classical High School is known as high performing since it’s a city wide school determined on finding the best students in the city. This information is aimed at those who wish to learn about various aspects of Classical High School compared to other schools in the state of Rhode Island. This school was able to make Newsweek’s America’s Best High Schools of 2012.
Student Achievement:
Classical is known as a commended school when it comes to student achievement. Their proficiency, gap closure, distinction, and graduation rate are well above that of the Providence school district, and also above the state of RI as well. They have an outstanding graduation rate of 97.5%, while the state’s is 76.9% and the district is 68.8%. For NECAP Assessments in the years 2012-2013, Classical is more proficient than Rhode Island schools as a whole by at least 11% in each subject. For Math scores, Classical High School is 62% proficient while the state is 34%. In Science scores, Classical is 43% proficient while RI is only 32%. When it comes to Writing, Classical outshines the statewide proficiency by 27%, and Reading surpasses RI by 19%. Students at Classical High School also do substantially well on SAT Exams. Compared to the state, Classical students’ averages are higher in Mathematics, Reading, and Writing by at least 22 points each. Moreover, the academic accomplishments at Classical carry over to their AP Exams. Out of 615 exams taken, 61% (374) of them scored at “College-Level Mastery” while statewide College-Level Mastery is only at 57%.
Teaching:
The teaching at Classical High School is extremely qualified and faintly superior compared to the teaching statewide. When it comes to the state as a whole, RI schools have 1% of teachers with Emergency Certification and 3% who are not highly qualified. Classical has 0% in both of those criteria. The teacher-student ratio at Classical is 1:14, while statewide is 1:11; based on the student achievement and exceptionally qualified teachers, there are no problems with these numbers.
Families and Communities:
Classical High School has a very diverse background of students. One reason is due to the fact that half of the Providence district is made up of minorities. Out of all of the students attending Classical, only 46% of them are Caucasian, which is significantly lower compared to most schools in the state of RI. 26% of students are Hispanic, 16% are African American, and 9% are of Asian descent. However, many of the students still come from difficult socioeconomic statuses. This is shown in the 61% of students who are eligible for subsidized lunch while statewide eligibility is 46%.
Funding and Resources:
The funding and resources at Classical High School are sufficient for the most part. The District Expenditure per student is about $15,305 which is very close to the amount per student statewide. The resources are good for the students and feel adequate according to the SurveyWorks Student Survey in 2012-2013. 64.7% of students in Classical believe that the computers work well; 79.6% believe the school has enough computers for students to use. When it comes to their books 79.8% do not feel that their classes need to share books. However, even though the resources are sufficient, students believe the school needs work. 77.7% of students at Classical do not believe that the inside of the school looks nice, and another 74.5% feel the same way about the outside of the school.
Conclusion:
Classical High School is very different compared to many other schools in Rhode Island. Not only do they have a 54% of minorities attending Classical, but their average scores for tests such as NECAP and SAT surpass RI as a whole, and are much higher compared to the rest of the Providence district. The information stated shows how developed Classical is as a school and how successful their teaching and grades have developed. The exceptional learning at Classical makes it one of the most diverse high-performing schools in the state, and also in the country.
Sources:
One of the Top High Schools in the Country (n.d.). InClassical High School. Retrieved November 1, 2013, from http://classicalhighschool.org/about/ Classical High School (2012). In Infoworks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting. Retrieved November 1, 2013
Matthew Hoey
District: Providence, RI
Classical High School:Introduction:
Classical High School is a public magnet school located in Providence, Rhode Island in the Providence school district. It was founded in 1843, with the motto Certare, Petere, Reperire, Neque Cedere, translated from Latin as: “To Strive, to Seek, to Find, and Not to Yield.” Classical High School is known as high performing since it’s a city wide school determined on finding the best students in the city. This information is aimed at those who wish to learn about various aspects of Classical High School compared to other schools in the state of Rhode Island. This school was able to make Newsweek’s America’s Best High Schools of 2012.
Student Achievement:
Classical is known as a commended school when it comes to student achievement. Their proficiency, gap closure, distinction, and graduation rate are well above that of the Providence school district, and also above the state of RI as well. They have an outstanding graduation rate of 97.5%, while the state’s is 76.9% and the district is 68.8%. For NECAP Assessments in the years 2012-2013, Classical is more proficient than Rhode Island schools as a whole by at least 11% in each subject. For Math scores, Classical High School is 62% proficient while the state is 34%. In Science scores, Classical is 43% proficient while RI is only 32%. When it comes to Writing, Classical outshines the statewide proficiency by 27%, and Reading surpasses RI by 19%. Students at Classical High School also do substantially well on SAT Exams. Compared to the state, Classical students’ averages are higher in Mathematics, Reading, and Writing by at least 22 points each. Moreover, the academic accomplishments at Classical carry over to their AP Exams. Out of 615 exams taken, 61% (374) of them scored at “College-Level Mastery” while statewide College-Level Mastery is only at 57%.
Teaching:
The teaching at Classical High School is extremely qualified and faintly superior compared to the teaching statewide. When it comes to the state as a whole, RI schools have 1% of teachers with Emergency Certification and 3% who are not highly qualified. Classical has 0% in both of those criteria. The teacher-student ratio at Classical is 1:14, while statewide is 1:11; based on the student achievement and exceptionally qualified teachers, there are no problems with these numbers.
Families and Communities:
Classical High School has a very diverse background of students. One reason is due to the fact that half of the Providence district is made up of minorities. Out of all of the students attending Classical, only 46% of them are Caucasian, which is significantly lower compared to most schools in the state of RI. 26% of students are Hispanic, 16% are African American, and 9% are of Asian descent. However, many of the students still come from difficult socioeconomic statuses. This is shown in the 61% of students who are eligible for subsidized lunch while statewide eligibility is 46%.
Funding and Resources:
The funding and resources at Classical High School are sufficient for the most part. The District Expenditure per student is about $15,305 which is very close to the amount per student statewide. The resources are good for the students and feel adequate according to the SurveyWorks Student Survey in 2012-2013. 64.7% of students in Classical believe that the computers work well; 79.6% believe the school has enough computers for students to use. When it comes to their books 79.8% do not feel that their classes need to share books. However, even though the resources are sufficient, students believe the school needs work. 77.7% of students at Classical do not believe that the inside of the school looks nice, and another 74.5% feel the same way about the outside of the school.
Conclusion:
Classical High School is very different compared to many other schools in Rhode Island. Not only do they have a 54% of minorities attending Classical, but their average scores for tests such as NECAP and SAT surpass RI as a whole, and are much higher compared to the rest of the Providence district. The information stated shows how developed Classical is as a school and how successful their teaching and grades have developed. The exceptional learning at Classical makes it one of the most diverse high-performing schools in the state, and also in the country.
Sources:
One of the Top High Schools in the Country (n.d.). In Classical High School. Retrieved November 1, 2013, from http://classicalhighschool.org/about/
Classical High School (2012). In Infoworks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting. Retrieved November 1, 2013